Five Fantasy Football Players to Avoid Like the Plague

Fantasy football drafts are well under way as the NFL regular season fast approaches. It is a very stressful time for many, where friendships are often torn stemming from an argument about who will start at quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. To lessen a bit of the hectic roller coaster decisions that come with a draft, I have compiled a list of five unworthy players who do not deserve any of your precious attention. These players may win you over with their good looks(see number 1) or their jaw-dropping college stats(see number 2). But don’t let them trick you into following a road of no return. Do not invest any of your picks into these players and pray that others will make the mistake instead.

Michael Crabtree – Three areas of concern make Crabtree an unwise pick. First, it is already three games into the regular season and still no contract in sight for the Texas Tech star. He appears to be treading in the footsteps of 2007’s number one overall pick, Jamarcus Russell, who signed after holding out of training camp and the first weeks of the season. By the time he began playing, Russell had very little chance to succeed in his rookie season. Thus, even if Crabtree signs today, he will be so far behind in the 49er’s playbook and will find himself catching up with the rest of his teammates. Second area of concern is his public statement that he would skip the 2009 season in order to reenter the draft next year if the 49ers do not accept his demands for a contract comparable to Darrius Heyward-Bey. Though such a demand is outrageous and ill-conceived, it must be taken into consideration as a possible outcome. Lastly, the 49ers have a surplus of wide receivers already competing for two starting positions with one slot likely to be taken by last year’s starter, Issac Bruce. That might explain Coach Singletary’s apparent lack of concern of management’s progress in signing Crabtree.

Ronnie Brown – A perennial injury-risk, Ronnie Brown played in all 16 games last year for the first time in his career. But something tells me that the Dolphin’s employment of the infamous “Wildcat” offense took many teams by surprise and helped Brown do well to avoid any setbacks. This year however, NFL teams are more than prepared this time around and some have even implemented the Wildcat scheme into their playbooks.

Jeremy Shockey – Not a single touchdown catch last year for Shockey, the first time ever in his career. He also dealt with a sports hernia that forced him to miss four games. All signs point to “Avoid at all costs.”

Kurt Warner – The man is 38 years old. How many hits can he really take before going down with a serious injury that could end his career? Sure, Matt Leinart won’t exactly pose as a threat to Warner’s starting job and the Cardinals have one of the best wide receiver duo in NFL history. But things can happen in a blink of an eye in the NFL and don’t be surprised if he suffers any major injuries during the season.